[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6270198,"mediaKeyId","3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac","parentId",3038402,"title","DeKalb board approves amendment adding 278 sick days to superintendent—s contract after public objections","audioSeconds",1842,"startMs",129000,"endMs",1971000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac&start=129&end=1971","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac/thumbnail_129000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6270198/Illinois/DeKalb-board-approves-amendment-adding-278-sick-days-to-superintendents-contract-after-public-objections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6270198-e33b36c3f78ee590b63e56cb189b4504/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149861&Signature=LfJbmYCKzyKOVxEXOERqWOBgVNqVH4MFUXl-5KdIwSo4AMLGFzQpVNKCCdHwJVzNal1Auj36v8guhbyRQHF31BRzExXrtyJLZFhmpEqGlk8PWCSPV-bMGCs5bYW9CHuCKaR6U4v6mHkFCPllOtaI3inra3~iJGkRa0bbwleUjmJhYWE3WpQ46pbFQNUNWg46Mkfw-Q0N9Rwy9iCixt9nzS1B3e4LtR6TQuVImhX~TjAouF9xwof0zE4ZeHXUkHaJle72dOiZa~1gC08BnUBMj7g55pi9w8uWTSD9f3nJxMtz8hQc-Yy18Oil2Gk4qGV17RUK0dFZFquJ15qn5jta6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","DeKalb CUSD 428","date","2025-04-17T14:19:25.593Z","article","The DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 Board of Education on Wednesday approved an amendment to Superintendent Maria Garcia Sanchez\u0000s 2024\u000026ndash;2026 employment contract to add 278 sick days to her allotment, a change critics at the meeting said can increase retirement service credit and financial liability for the pension system.

The vote followed public comments and board discussion about transparency and the timing of the amendment. The roll-call vote on the amendment recorded Steve Byers: \"No,\" Ariel Owens: \"Yes,\" Christopher Boyce: \"Yes,\" Casey Ramirez: \"Yes,\" Dante Bynum: \"Yes,\" and Amanda Harness: \"No,\" yielding an outcome recorded by the board as approved.

The topic drew public speakers before the board acted. Jose Jacquez, who identified himself as a newly elected board member speaking as a resident, said the amendment was listed on the consent agenda with four other items and questioned why three collective-bargaining agreements and a superintendent contract amendment with an approximately $7,376,750 aggregate fiscal impact were not presented for separate discussion. \"The superintendent's contract currently allow allows for 15 days, granting her 276 days is a 1840% increase,\" Jacquez said. He cited the open meetings law to argue for public recital of material before final action.

Pete Vanderblieck, a parent, raised pension-system concerns and equity questions, saying the added sick days could convert to service credit under the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System and accelerate retirement eligibility. \"This could be, it's easily tens of thousands of dollars in value and possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in value,\" Vanderblieck said. He added: \"It costs the state money, it costs other teachers in the system money...it makes a system that's already in a precarious situation more precarious.\"

Board members who spoke during the item offered procedural and substantive explanations. One board member said the dates had been requested during the original contract negotiations and that the board had approved a two-year contract last year without finalizing the sick-day allocation at that time. Another board member said the current board completed the superintendent\u0000s evaluation and described adding the days as a decision made before the board\u0000s transition to the incoming membership; that speaker emphasized the action was not solely driven by the most recent annual review. Amanda Harness said she viewed the timing skeptically and voted against the amendment.

Superintendent Maria Garcia Sanchez responded to a direct question about intent to take the days: \"Absolutely not,\" she said when asked if she intended to use the 278 days immediately for an extended leave; board members clarified that, under state law, once granted, sick days may be used in statutory ways and could affect retirement credit if used for certain purposes.

The board first removed the item from the consent agenda to allow separate discussion; after debate it returned to the amendment as an action item and carried it by roll call.

Why it matters: Sick days in Illinois public education can be banked and in some circumstances converted to service credit for TRS calculations. Public commenters argued the amendment merited explicit discussion because of its potential pension impact and because it was not accompanied by background materials on the posted consent packet.

What the board recorded: The board's minutes show the motion to amend the superintendent's contract was moved and seconded and then approved in a roll-call vote. The public record includes the on-the-record public comments urging the board to pull the item from consent and provide more information before action.

Next steps: The amendment takes effect as adopted by the board; questions about any fiscal impact to the district or TRS would follow further accounting and, if necessary, external guidance from TRS or legal counsel.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","DeKalb CUSD 428 Board Meeting 4/15/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 Board of Education on Wednesday approved an amendment to Superintendent Maria Garcia Sanchez\u0000s 2024\u000026ndash;2026 employment contract to add 278 sick days after public comment and board debate.","taxTitle","DeKalb CUSD 428, School Boards, Illinois","taxId",49811,"location","Illinois","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6270182,"Votes at a glance: DeKalb board approves multiple consent and staffing items; parking lot contract and travel requests pass",1186,1049000,2235000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac&start=1049&end=2235","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac/thumbnail_1049000.jpg","/articles/6270182/Illinois/Votes-at-a-glance-DeKalb-board-approves-multiple-consent-and-staffing-items-parking-lot-contract-and-travel-requests-pass","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6270182-43359abf228629a659a00d9de44f4881/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149861&Signature=Hhiz5V8fINu-K00X6DzExRnO8UVUa2XWItTmtGfSBjIcZRM1MauatbVzvnlR0njHOVgTfr04Nx17qf29BQWtcAT18j5dunZ5r3z6cHZGPKE71g0y~qgjMitfEeuiaQlGLqRhTf8hbQF~5aeUq3AnPpsbsQ2-2fJrB8VCn7gF-glsHA0AACpswSjxItvoac8bSTpuvB1kuGxiU95TEtbu29gD25cdvyDA0emLlpcMyzhKuuRbD7rxd5F28uSzW8X24fmY68uzrYUQtB4Gkym3f3THDSORVqgjPBVu7NaUU-CUwOr-ukP1UR4kxl9EJmVttG8AGmKVq6x5NDTIPcJ6Xg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its regular meeting the DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 Board of Education recorded approval of a range of consent, contract and staffing items. The board used roll-call votes for action items and recorded approvals for numerous recommendations; where a recorded tally appears below it matches the transcript roll call.

Votes and key outcomes (as recorded during the meeting):

- Consent agenda (items 6B\u0000through\u00006M, with the exception of item 6J which was pulled): Board approved the consent items after item 6J was removed for separate discussion (roll-call recorded when the consent items were considered). The consent packet included payroll, accounts payable, purchase orders, and negotiated agreements with DFSS and local union units. (Outcome: approved as amended, motion and roll-call recorded.)

- Amendment to superintendent employment contract (item pulled from consent and later approved): Approved by roll call (see separate article for details). (Outcome: approved.)

- Unaffiliated salary and benefits recommendation for FY2025\u000026mdash;2026 (item 20 24 20 25 26 unaffiliated benefits summary): Motion moved, roll call recorded; outcome approved with recorded yes/no votes (transcript shows multiple yes votes and recorded nos). (Outcome: approved.)

- Network for College Success (UChicago) MOU renewal: Approved by roll call. (Outcome: approved.)

- DHS FFA national convention overnight travel (June 10\u000012, Springfield): Approved by roll call. (Outcome: approved.)

- Administration professional development (Deloitte campus, June 6\u000010): Approved by roll call. (Outcome: approved.)

- Education Center parking-lot replacement contract: Board approved the alternate bid for replacement of the Education Center parking lot with a contracting company in DeKalb for $443,973.91; roll call recorded and approval passed. (Outcome: approved.)

- Student-discipline actions (two individual student cases): Board recorded roll-call votes to uphold a suspension and to approve an expulsion recommendation; both actions were approved by roll call as recorded. (Outcome: suspensions/expulsion: approved as recommended.)

- Staffing approvals and requests (multiple items): The board approved a series of staffing items or agreed to bring them back for action where indicated: additional staff for Extended School Year program (action item approved by roll call), two additional special-education teacher FTEs for middle-school academic intensive programs (approved by roll call), unaffiliated positions for Mitchell Elementary (information/consensus to bring back), an additional restorative dean for Mitchell (consensus to bring back), and instructional-assistant FTE requests for Seoul and academic-intensive programs (consensus to bring back). Where transcript recorded a roll-call vote those items were approved; informational items were placed on future agendas for action as noted. (Outcome: mixed; those listed as action items were approved.)

- Other routine items including multiple MOUs (DFSS/union agreements), PD, travel and curriculum-related MOUs were advanced or approved by roll call as listed on the agenda.

Why it matters: The collective approvals action the district's staffing plan, capital projects and program planning for the coming school year and finalize negotiated agreements with employee groups.

What to watch: Several items that were informational at this meeting (solar RFP, SVPP grant application, SRO IGA) were given consensus to return with more detail; those will require future board action or formal contract awards.

","The DeKalb CUSD 428 board approved a series of consent, contract and staffing items at its regular meeting, including negotiated agreements, a parking-lot replacement contract, travel and professional-development requests, and multiple staffing additions for the 2025 school year.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6270187,"District seeks DOJ school-violence protection grant; officials describe cameras, door-entry and device-monitoring plans",369,2954000,3323000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac&start=2954&end=3323","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac/thumbnail_2954000.jpg","/articles/6270187/Illinois/District-seeks-DOJ-school-violence-protection-grant-officials-describe-cameras-door-entry-and-device-monitoring-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6270187-b9a674a36fed7c8ae390091474cd662f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149861&Signature=awTNuhe2cQN6noJBJbKfVW52O4ws2bKx5dW57CRS4arQomU612Guy0TfnWXdSC9E3SU7Vw8D6gflLiFGLTbwKrtN7z4kzM9BCTd8HN--s4upF0MruCbot6m1dT1sJDO90QuTjAggIvfseZG8K7x-TByumbJR3rXgy5WLNZmeSvT14o8uGJImfKvrXIG1JuQo~POizUNPAmz3KVikKNgaINnkt9Z5EJx7OPz8mf42tKVeQ4uscFbwYJZ7DqlFcBQqbFfsEg-09jSyXTGIKwRZRQamvV8FKQEMHfusGZTYEtbUhR8npcheot0V17OE1xO89D8T2tdWEOyga6eSIbNFXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District officials told the DeKalb CUSD 428 board they are seeking a competitive School Violence Protection Program (SVPP) grant through the U.S. Department of Justice\u0000s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office and that the award would require a local match (approximately 25 percent of funds awarded).

Emma, the district\u0000s grant writer, said the application is competitive and the district has pursued this grant in prior years without success; administrators are requesting the board\u0000s authority to submit an application and to provide the locally required match if awarded. \"It is dependent on it's a 25% of what we are granted,\" Emma said when summarizing the matching requirement.

Administration explained the planned uses align with the district\u0000s safety and security program: camera rotation and storage, door-entry systems, servers and other hardware, and cybersecurity monitoring tied to student devices. A district speaker outlined an automated monitoring system that flags keywords and phrases on students' assigned 1:1 devices and generates notifications to designated staff when the system determines the content is severe enough to warrant follow-up; the speaker described multi-tiered alerts and call chains that can lead to welfare checks even at off-hours.

Board members asked whether certain city contributions (for example SRO costs) could count as an in-kind match; administrators said match must typically be for eligible capital or equipment expenditures and recommended cameras, radios and similar physical security items as match-eligible.

Why it matters: The grant would reduce district capital needs for safety technology but requires district funds to match any award; the district emphasized the grant would be used for infrastructure that administration said the district would likely need to replace or upgrade over time anyway.

Community concerns and context: In a separate item the board discussed the Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of DeKalb on school resource officers; city council members' comments prompted questions at the board meeting about whether the district and city are aligned on SRO roles. Administrators clarified SROs are intended to build connections and support school safety but said the SROs' jurisdictional authority varies by municipality.

Next steps: Administration will file the grant application and, if awarded, return with detailed budget and recommended match sources; the board indicated consensus to bring the item back for formal approval if awarded.

","DeKalb administrators described a third attempt to win a U.S. Department of Justice School Violence Protection Program grant (COPS) and outlined how proposed funds would match local outlays for cameras, door-entry, servers and cybersecurity monitoring, including student-device keyword alerts",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6270192,"DeKalb schools plan competitive RFP for on-site solar after consultant's feasibility finds large savings potential",975,3456000,4431000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac&start=3456&end=4431","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3038402-d385af1649a3e901f0a05043ff5812ac/thumbnail_3456000.jpg","/articles/6270192/Illinois/DeKalb-schools-plan-competitive-RFP-for-on-site-solar-after-consultants-feasibility-finds-large-savings-potential","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6270192-7dbbda7ab22515a99b08ec8f8b6e5836/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149861&Signature=R63AF48vrisLJnW-FCSBYQtir84L2NeBAgjq24aqY4ZZLJ0wrVLhDu1JkrzEpCLhAFJp7Sm~zsafcdVxKmjAZhZdLr6EuY8vHxOrYpoEj5ZbQui9ofbQ1vteLtLEJFUiCkbXwJIJlHqaDlxUq2eht5nmNRiw~W1KgIau8FyDc-OM9FmUV1Mwq07440PWhPed8FpxCxolG30q8YlGA02Uth7aYFu0u4j666rlX8JeIOkNFj5Eh1OCmKNwdYCm7mQjpIk0RY2p2d0B1RB4aHUrrsIqJLdVokpi-gXSlOaKgppq9wwUb-rgtYj05KBRF8LLXy~xBQwnhZKJ6JwDEHgOUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 received a presentation from energy consultant Nania Group on a proposed district-wide solar program and agreed by consensus to bring a competitive request-for-proposals (RFP) for board consideration.

Nania\u0000s preliminary feasibility study estimated a rooftop array at DeKalb High School of roughly 2 megawatts that could offset about three-quarters of the high school's annual electricity use; other school sites showed potential offsets ranging from under half to two-thirds of annual consumption. The firm presented an illustrative power-purchase agreement (PPA) framework in which a third-party developer installs and operates arrays at no upfront cost to the district and the district buys solar energy at a fixed per-kilowatt-hour rate.

Becky Thompson, Nania Group, said district supply contracts and market volatility make solar an attractive mitigation strategy. \"I wouldn't anticipate that there would be a material change where you would be subject to early termination penalties,\" Thompson said when asked whether an existing long-term electricity supply contract would prevent installing solar over time. She advised the district and supplier would coordinate so the district would not face significant early-termination exposure from its current fixed-rate suppliers.

Nania's technical lead said the firm used conservative modeling and recommended a PPA to capture federal tax incentives that a taxable third-party owner can use; the consultant proposed issuing an RFP, evaluating proposals over the summer, and returning to the board with recommended awards and contract terms in early fall. The consultant presented an indicative PPA energy rate of about 6.44\u0000\u0000c2\u0000
c per kWh versus an estimated current grid price near 9\u0000\u0000c2\u0000
c per kWh, with an illustrative first-year savings near $200,000 and an estimated 25-year program savings on the order of $8 million under conservative assumptions.

District officials said the solar approach would preserve the district's capital position because the PPA model requires no district upfront capital, places operations and maintenance responsibility with the developer, and lets the developer claim tax credits. The board's consensus to move forward authorizes administration to prepare an RFP and return with procurement results and specific financial offers.

Why it matters: The district flagged near-term increases in ComEd-related charges as a driver of long-term energy-cost risk and said on-site solar could reduce budget volatility and provide educational and workforce-education opportunities in STEAM-related curricula.

Next steps: If the board approves issuing the RFP, district staff and Nania Group plan a multi-month procurement with awards potentially submitted for board action in September and installation possibly beginning the following spring or summer depending on contract terms and permitting.

","Consultant Nania Group presented a feasibility study showing rooftop and ground-mounted solar on DeKalb CUSD 428 sites could offset significant portions of school electricity loads; the board gave consensus to proceed with a request-for-proposals process to seek competitive power-purchase agreements","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DeKalb board approves amendment adding 278 sick days to superintendent—s contract after public objections

Votes at a glance: DeKalb board approves multiple consent and staffing items; parking lot contract and travel requests pass

District seeks DOJ school-violence protection grant; officials describe cameras, door-entry and device-monitoring plans

DeKalb schools plan competitive RFP for on-site solar after consultant's feasibility finds large savings potential